Daily Grit by Wes Thorp

I feel like burning my Time magazine tonight

I just read the online New York Times story about Time agreeing to give up notes identifying a confidential source(s) for a story about the CIA.  I can't believe they would do that. 

I remember when I was a journalism student at Michigan State University in the mid-sixties, I would fantacize about working for Time.  They set the bar for both reporting and writing.  Their reporters knew how to work a beat, develop sources, report and write.  Henry Luce has to be spinning in his grave.

During the Vietnam War, I remember many protesters burned their draft cards.  I feel like going outside and lighting up my Time magazine.  It's really sad.  It doesn't bode well for the media and its historical role of keeping us informed.  God help us!

State might take your parents home to pay for nursing home care

Maybe I should keep my membership in AARP.  On their website, I saw their report on how more and more states are taking seniors' homes to pay for Medicaid paid nursing home care.  Bottom-line, if you or your parents go into a nursing home, the state might take their home to be reimbursed.  I don't think that's the law in Michigan yet.

BL Ochman on Iraq--a veteran flak

BL Ochman, whose blog on marketing is followed by many, including me, got all lathered up about President Bush's speech on Iraq.  She's rabidly anti-Bush.  Apparently, she doesn't like that he stands for something.  I hope she's a better marketer than political thinker.

Terrorists know that Iraq outcome will affect their effort

Mary Katherine Ham, on www.townhall.com, makes the point that the kabal that includes all the terrorists knows that Iraq is vital to their effort to remake the world to fit their extremist view of things.

Post- Bush speech comments

After President Bush's speech on Iraq last night, U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi ridiculed our national leader for connecting Iraq to terrorism.  Did I hear that wrong?  Hey, here's a paper from the U.S. State Department issued in 2001 stating clearly and providing examples of how Iraq, indeed, was a state sponsor of terrorism. 

Do you think that the Democratic Party intentionally tries to make itself look stupid and xenophobic?  Are they trying extra-hard to lose the 2006 elections?  Seems that way, doesn't it?

Leadership in a post-modern/emerging culture

My daughter e-mailed me this article about how to lead effectively in a post-modern/emerging culture.  It's from The Ooze and it makes an important point about how times and people have changed.  Answer is quantum servanthood.  The article explains.

Iraq: worth it?

Talk Left blog has a pretty sharp, clear answer.  I wonder if they feel loss of life was worth it for U.S. Civil War, Revolutionary War, World War I and II.

Live blogging--Bush reaction

Hardball's Chris Matthews interviewed woman who raised question of whether U.S. would have stayed the course in World War II if we had instant media then like we have today.  Same dynamic then, right?  Should we have not fought Hitler?  He was a Sadaam-type, right?  How would Kennedy and Kerry reacted to Hitler?  They'd probably say he was not a threat.

Bush speech reaction-Rep. Nancy Pelosi

Listening to NBC and their speech reaction coverage with U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi who claims that Bush is not being honest about the war.  She kept saying that he needs to be honest with the people and they'll respect it.  Ah, come-on Nancy.  Give it up.  Provide accountability, but stop the drumbeat of doubt.  Either put-up or get behind the effort.

Live blogging Bush--#2

President Bush just finished.  I think he made his points, but one stands out:

We either find them over there or we fight them here.

I love his focus, his determination.  He's the kind of leader that you want in a fight where you are at risk and this country is one big bullseye of the terrorists.

I still have the feeling that we are only getting part of the story from the news media.

President didn't sugar coat progress that's being made.  He seemed to score very low on the bullshit quotient.  He's firm on the war on terror and he's not turning back.  I'm satisfied.

Live blogging President Bush on Iraq

We just started watching the broadcast of President Bush's speech on Fox.  He was just introduced to the troops at Fort Bragg.

Intro of his speech:

--He says his greatest responsibility is to protect the American people.  Okay, how's he doing that with Iraq.  He says we are fighting global war on terror.  Terrorists want to remake Mideast in their own image.  They continue to kill in Madrid, bunch of other places.

--He says we are defending our freedom from murderous ideology.

--They have to be defeated abroad before they attack us at home.

--We either deal with it abroad or wait til it comes to us.

Prepping for speech-#3--On Bullshit by Harry Frankfort

You know I have time before the 8 p.m. President Bush speech to reread Harry G. Frankfurt's tome On Bullshit.  I'm sure that we'll hear a lot of it after the speech, ala' Senators Kerry and Kennedy and Hagel.  It's worth a read and it helps.

Prepping for speech-#2--Bush v. Saadam

ReBelle Nation in Brisbane, Australia claims that President Bush is more tyrannical than Sadaam.  Hmm...

Prepping for tonight's speech by President Bush

I was just reading the online editorial from the Economist about President Bush's second term.  They describe the effort in Iraq as a "disaster."  The editorial states:

Mr Bush's second term is not going well. The most visible disaster remains Iraq: the euphoria of the January election has worn off, six out of ten Americans want to bring their troops home and he has failed to get much help from the Europeans.

How accurate is it to describe Iraq as a disaster?  Reporters in Iraq seem to be nothing more than ambulance-chasers.  They go from one incident to another. 

Hey, I could make Lansing, MI seem like Beruit during their hostilities if I reported on nothing but the police calls everyday and every night.  Why are reporters afraid to get out with the people and report what's going on with them in Iraq?  Maybe, it's not the reporters, but the bias of the editors.

If that's the case, then the American people are really being cheated.  They are only getting one-side.  Where's Sigma Delta Chi when you really need it?

I'll be listening to President Bush tonight about Iraq

I will be watching President Bush tonight and listening carefully for his explanation of why we should be optimistic about the progress being made in Iraq.  I want to believe that we are making a difference for the people of the Middle East and that we are helping make the world a safer place.

I'm concerned about Iraq becoming this generation's Vietnam.  I'm old enough to remember how that conflict in southeast Asia divided this country and how it affected my life as a young college student.  I wanted to believe then too.  Then, I read the Best and the Brightest by David Halberstam, highly-regarded for his thorough reporting and for his lack of bias.

This country needs to deal with terrorism and I'm not sure how that should be done.  Maybe, the President is doing the right thing.  But, he needs to do some convincing and some effective handholding.

I will live blog during his address to the nation tonight.

Looking at Mayor Tony Benavides' priorities

I'm really trying to make an informed decision about who to vote for in the August primary for mayor in Lansing. 

It's a three-way race between the incumbent, Mayor Tony Benavides, State Senator Virg Bernero and former State Rep. Lynne Martinez. 

The Mayor is a neighbor and I've never met him.  I've walked by his home with my Beagle, Snoopy, when he has been outside, and he's never bothered to say more than a weak hello.

Then I look at his priorities on his website. Wow!  Some PR writer worked overtime with the flacks books of platitudes.  Shouldn't I have more info on which to make a decision?  I'm not impressed and I want to be.  I want to listen to his vision for Lansing, the State Capital, of Michigan and a city that's on the verge of some really hard times if we don't get the right leader.

Is the Mayor the right leader to take us there?

American Heritage Dictionary lists top 10 words for h.s. grads

Lately, it seems like you need to feel guilty using words that have more than two syllables.  People start thinking that you trying to show off and they might accuse you of being pedantic. 

Now comes American Heritage Dictionary listing their top ten words that each high school graduate should know.  It reminded me that I shouldn't feel sorry for using words that are more precise, closer to the intended meaning.  But, will people understand what I'm trying to say because they don't know the words.

See how many of the words you know from the top ten or the top 100 list.

Church of the Nazarene invading Indianapolis

The Indy Star has a good story this morning about the national Nazarene convention in Indianapolis and how they are changing the world for 110 families in that city.

John Townsend on spiritual and personal growth

Is my personal growth as an individual tied to my spiritual growth?  Psychologist and author John Townsend answers in this piece from Rick Warren's website.

Glucosamine-will it help my knees

My wife just came in from a 40 minute brisk walk wearing Nikken's Cardiostrides.  I can feel the ache in my left knee which could easily turn into real pain.  I've been taking glucosamine at the suggestion of others. 

I just checked glucosamine in wikipedia and it stated that it was not recommended for use to treat osteoarthritis or to rebuild cartilage in joints.  Boy, there's one whole shelve at Sam's Club in Lansing filled with the supplement.  Is this just a word of mouth thing where somebody said it helps or might help?